korean

Of all the horror films to be remade in recent years “Oldboy” is probably the one I would think American studios wouldn't want to touch with a ten-foot pole. It’s an incredibly dark, violent, mean-spirited, and shocking film whose finale involves a taboo that American audiences would find revolting. Even though mainstream studios, for whatever reason, are completely stuck in the remake trend, this was an idea that felt so bad I felt compelled to watch just out of sheer morbid curiosity.

I can’t honestly say that I’m a big fan of Korean films, and “R-Point,” my most recent foray into Korean cinema is certainly no exception. Almost all of the Korean movies that I have seen seem to be at least half-an-hour too long, have meandering plots, and bizarre tonal shifts that I think end up really hurting them. Even Korean films that I’ve enjoyed like “The Host” and “I Saw the Devil” are no exception, as they both share these flaws.

I enjoyed “The Host” for two big reasons. First off was the humor, the monster stuff was done well enough but the quirky family at the center of the story was by far the feature attraction. Secondly, the courage to not have a traditional feel good ending where every main character survives the final showdown. This is always gonna play well in my household. Director Joon-ho Bong’s first full-length follow up to “The Host” is a rural murder mystery/ character study called “Mother”.